Day’s Worst: “Legitimate rape” debate is rekindled

A Georgia congressman reignited the “legitimate rape” debate by weighing in on — and partially agreeing with — the controversial comments made by an unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate from Missouri.

And we thought the “legitimate rape” brouhaha was a flash in the pan, not to be repeated.

Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in conservative Cobb County when he made observations about comments made by Todd Akin, a Republican congressman who ran unsuccessfully for Senate. Akin had ignited controversy by saying a woman’s body could “shut down” during a rape and prevent pregnancy.

“And in Missouri, Todd Akin … was asked by a local news source about rape and he said, ‘Look, in a legitimate rape situation’ — and what he meant by legitimate rape was just look, someone can say I was raped: a scared-to-death 15-year-old that becomes impregnated by her boyfriend and then has to tell her parents, that’s pretty tough and might on some occasion say, ‘Hey, I was raped.’ That’s what he meant when he said legitimate rape versus non-legitimate rape. I don’t find anything so horrible about that. But then he went on and said that in a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman’s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He’s partly right on that.”

Gingrey, an OB/GYN since 1975, went on.

“And I’ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ‘Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don’t be so tense and uptight because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.’ So he was partially right wasn’t he? But the fact that a woman may have already ovulated 12 hours before she is raped, you’re not going to prevent a pregnancy there by a woman’s body shutting anything down because the horse has already left the barn, so to speak. And yet the media took that and tore it apart.”

Since the remarks were printed, Gingrey has said his remarks were misconstrued and he neither defends nor stands by the “legitimate rape” comments made by Akin.

It was surprising that Gingrey, a six-term congressman, waded into this debate to begin with. But we also find ourselves wondering just how times are we going to have to rehash this bunch of malarkey?